Can You Grind Pepper In A Coffee Grinder? -

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Someone once said, “once the purpose of a thing is not known, abuse is inevitable.” However, when it comes to a coffee grinder, such quotes do not apply. Coffee grinders are designed to be very versatile in their functions – from grinding tea leaves to pepper, the list is endless. So, to directly answer the million-dollar question, can you grind pepper in a coffee grinder?

The answer is a resounding yes! Using a burr coffee grinder is one of the best ways in which you can easily and comfortably grind black pepper to that fine, smooth texture you desire for your recipe.

One good thing about using this grinder is that it gives you the opportunity to set and control whatever you are grinding in there. This is something I so much love about using my OXO Brew Conical Burr Coffee Grinder for.

This isn’t just my opinion though, but according to the popular chef, Irvine Roberts, he prefers using a coffee grinder to a regular pepper grinder due to the blades that heat up the peppercorns when grinding.

According to chef Irvine, heated peppercorns bring out the flavour and the aroma in them, and in his own words “using a regular pepper mill to grind pepper cones make it tastes like sawdust.” So you should really consider swapping your regular pepper mills for this coffee grinder if you don’t have one.

Can You Grid Spices In A Coffee Grinder?

Aside from grinding pepper cones, your coffee grinder can also grind tea leaves (recently wrote an article on this), coffee (obviously!), and yes, spices.

However, you will want to dedicate a second coffee grinder for this purpose due to how attached some of these spices can be to the coffee blades – no one, not if even you, will want a coffee that tastes like curry.

You can actually follow these simple steps I will be sharing shortly on how to clean your coffee blender if you have the time in your hands, or you feel an extra coffee blender doesn’t fit rightly on your budget.

How To Clean A Coffee Grinder After Use

If you use your coffee blender for purposes other than ground coffee, then these tips should get your coffee blender clean and rearing to go again.

Materials Needed

Soft brush
Washing liquid
Dry cloth
Clean water

General Method Of Cleaning Coffee Grinder

Step 1: Unplug Your Coffee Grinder

To prevent any sort of hazard or shock when cleaning your coffee grinder, completely unplug the grinder from the power source – this is put your mind at ease when going through the clean process – a necessity needed in getting the job done.

Step 2: Remove The Removable Parts

Detach the removable parts from their components, and separate them accordingly. This will make the cleaning process completely easy and straight forward.

Step 3: Wash The Removable Parts

Once you finish dismantling the removable parts, clean them with the appropriate method allowed. Some of these removable parts are top-rack dishwasher friendly, but to play it safe, diligently use your hand to wash them using soap and water.

Step 4: Remove Other Particles From The Blade And Lid

Using your soft brush, remove the spice particles that are attached to certain areas of the blade. Ensure you maintain caution when dealing with the blade areas so you don’t injure yourself.

Clean the lid of the coffee grinder, and use the bristles of the brush to get too tight areas by angling the brush when making contact with such areas.

Step 5: Wipe Dry With A Dry Cloth

After cleaning and rinsing the parts of the coffee grinder, wipe them dry with a dry cloth to get them to dry quickly. You should also consider leaving the parts of the coffee grinder to air dry before replacing the lid and other parts in their right position. Don’t submerge the base of the grinder in water.

This method is very suitable for conical burr grinders and blade grinders alike. (Read Also: Kitchenaid Burr Coffee Grinder Review (2022))

The Uncooked Rice Method

The uncooked rice method is very suitable for blade grinders. It can also help you do away with the unwanted smell that might affect the taste of your coffee. The steps below should see you through.

Step 1: Plug The Grinder Into A Power Source

Unlike the cleaning method involving the use of water, you need the coffee grinder connected to a power source – it’s part of the cleaning process.

Step 2: Measure 20 Grams Of Uncooked Rice

Once you ascertain the blender is plugged into a power source, measure out about 20 grams of uncooked rice – or a quarter cup of rice – then pour it into the hopper. Emphasis is on the “dry uncooked rice”. In no way should the rice be wet or damp – it’s dry, or nothing.

Step 3: Grind The Rice

After evenly distributing the uncooked dry rice in the hopper, blend the rice to a fine powder then pour it out into the waste bin.

Step 4: Clean Out The Rice Dust With A Damp Cloth

After grinding the rice and pouring it out, clean out the rice dust with a damp cloth. You can also choose to rinse it, but you have to be careful with the blades.

Using Grinder Cleaning Tablets

Another effective method you can consider apart from using rice is the grinder cleaning tablets. Just like the rice, the cleaning tablets also help to eradicate any lingering smell from the spices and absorb the oil from the hopper area. follow the simple steps below to get the best out of your cleaning tablets.

Step 1: Purchase The Cleaning Tablets

Ensure you buy the cleaning tablets from accredited stores so that you get the best value for your money. Click here for more info on how to get cleaning tablets.

Step 2: Pour It Into The Hopper And Blend

Once you purchase your cleaning tablets, pour them into the hopper and blend them into powder form. Ensure you pulse it at intervals to get the best result. The cleaning tablets will help remove any leftover coffee bean debris or spice from the hopper section of the coffee grinder.

Step 3: Add About 1-Ounce Of Coffee

After grinding the tablets to a powdered form, add a little amount of coffee (about 1-ounce) to the already grounded tablet, then blend together and ensure that the tablets and coffee have run through the machine by using the pulse feature in the coffee grinder.

Step 4: Pour Out The Powdered Mixture

After completing the cleaning process, pour out the powdered mixture into a waste bin, then use a damp cloth to clean the remaining dust in the cleaning section.

Try cleaning your coffee grinder at least once every month if you use it for only coffee beans, and clean it every time you use it for grinding anything other than coffee beans – if you want to enjoy its purpose for a very long time without having any complaints.

What Else Can You Grind In A Coffee Grinder?

Asides from grinding hot spices, other things are subject to the blade of your coffee grinder. Let’s take a look at some of them.

Bread Crumbs

A little while back, I gave 11 thoughts for spending your old bread, and bread morsels are one of my undisputed top choice employments. I scarcely ever haul my enormous food processor out of the cabinet except if I have a ton of bread to experience.

On the off chance that you simply tear your bread into little pieces, an espresso processor can deal with it effectively and it makes scraps that are as enormous or as fine as you need them, contingent upon how long you keep it on. Simply don’t over-burden your little machine and keep the bread add up to about a portion of its holding limit.

Nuts And Seeds

If you are a fan of sprinkling chopped nuts and seeds in an ice cream bowl, or in any delicacy for that matter, then a coffee grinder is your sure bet. It grinds seeds into bits to fit your needs and wants.

It also does a good job with soft nuts such as pine nuts, walnuts, and peanuts. With softer nuts, you are advised not to grind for too long to reduce the risk of getting a substance close to nut butter, except that’s what you are looking for of course.

Harder nuts like almonds will receive an intense crushing experience from a coffee grinder, but some users have complained that they don’t really enjoy the texture from such experiences.

However, if you desire a grounded version of your almond seed I strongly suggest you use a high-powered kitchen blender – they are actually designed for such purposes.

Dry Herbs

One of the advantages garden owners have is the availability of fresh spices at their beck and call. However, certain recipes require a dry herb and not fresh ones – in such cases, using a dehydrator to dry the herbs – especially leaves – will be a good idea, but it doesn’t end there – using coffee blenders to grind your dehydrated leaves brings out the best flavour in your herbs. It also provides you with a good storage option.

Flour

People who have a knack for grinding their own flour will find the coffee grinder very useful, especially in situations where you require just a little amount. With the coffee grinder, you don’t exhaustion that comes with setting up your flour grinder (my opinion though).

Nonetheless, coffee grinders are only suitable for a small amount of flour production. If you require a large quantity, then use the right appliance – a coffee grinder will do you no good in this regard.

Tea Leaves

With coffee grinders, it’s not difficult to make your own tea combo using dried spices that you have bought in mass, as well as dried fruits, dried flowers, flavours, natural products, and so on based on your recipe. As long as the ingredients are ideal for your tea recipe, a coffee grinder should do a perfect job in blending them together uniformly.

Paper Confetti

If you have a kid’s party to celebrate and you feel have a blend of used papers would go a long way in adding glamour to the party, a coffee grinder can give you festive confetti of blended papers with just a few swirls.

What Can I Use Instead Of A Spice Grinder?

Apart from the conventional spice grinder as we know it, you can also use the following apparatus to get the spicy flavours from your spice, but you should note that some of these appliances are ideal for some spices with certain textures than others with different textures.

Mortar And Pestle

Many persons would prefer a mortar and pestle in getting flavours out of their spices, and they actually have a point. Mortars have been used for thousands of years but their importance has not waned a bit.

Many food experts will recommend a mortar if you intend to extract oil from certain fresh herbs or spices, and some cooking experts also prefer it when they want an exact texture of their herbs, grain, or seeds. Click here to see a mortar that fits your kitchen in all ramifications.

In terms of maintenance, the modern-day mortar and pestle can be easily cleaned, but experts have advised users to reduce the use of kitchen liquid in cleaning due to the effect they have on the surface of the mortars in the long run.

Grater (Microplane)

The importance of Microplane graters can never be overestimated, especially if you purchased the one that comes in a different size range. In terms of adaptability, Microplane graters are more ideal for roots and other spices that have hard feelings about them.

However, Microplane graters are almost invalid when it comes to tiny seed spices. In terms of maintenance, the Microplane grater can be washed in a dishwasher, and it can also be easily stored in any kitchen cabinet of your choice due to its small build.

Coffee Grinders

This list would be incomplete without coffee grinders. Be it the manual or electrical coffee grinders, you are always sure of getting your spice in ground form when the coffee grinders are involved. They are very easy to maintain, and they can also be used to grind your coffee beans as well.